How to Remove Stains From Leather Shoes and Boots

Stains can happen anytime and anywhere especially when it is about your immaculate leather shoes: how one can save them from catching accidental fluid spills, walk side dirt and mud, lunch time greasy experience. Your footwear has the most exposure to all kinds of dirt whether these are just a few steps from your car to your office or it is a long walk on the sideway. You can easily get your leather shoes or boots stained. Proper cleaning paired with conditioning and preservation of your leather shoes not only help to restore and keep them clean but also increase their longevity.

This blog will help you handle all types of stubborn stains whether these are grease stains, scratches, or mold stains. Besides explaining the nature of all kinds of stains and their impacts on the leather material, a complete method of removing stains from the leather shoes and boots is elaborated.

How to Remove Stains From Leather Shoes and Boots

Stains on Leather Shoes and Treatments

Along with various natures of stains, the treatment requires particular precautions for the successful removal of stains on leather shoes for each type of stain. Following are the most common stains to which your leather shoes may be exposed frequently.

Grease or Oil Stains

Oil or grease stains are the most damaging ones, especially because of the hassle involved in removing them without further damaging the leather shoes. A little carelessness can either spread the oil stain over the other parts of your leather shoes or penetrate into the surface as well. Therefore, in order to avoid the grease from spreading or getting absorbed, treat it instantly and avoid rubbing it.

Dirt Stains

Dirt stains are the most common stains in all the other types of stains and their occurrence depends on how frequently you use your leather shoes. One needs to treat these stains on a regular basis to avoid damages damage. Dirt or dust can easily accumulate into the pores of the leather and suck all the natural oils that makes them dehydrated and lead to cracking. Therefore, getting rid of dirt stains daily with a simple step of cleaning with the help of a high-quality leather cleaner is essential to ensure the longevity of your leather shoes and boots.

Mold Stains

Mold stains on leather are dark and greenish spots that also carry a musty smell along with them. Mold on leather shoes or other leather items usually thrives when these are stored in an unfavorable environment such as any place that is not properly ventilated and dried. In such a damp environment leather can absorb this moisture into its pores. The excessive amount of moisture in leather pores provides it an environment to produce mold.

In case of removing mold stains, don’t start directly with the cleaning process but remove the mold first with the help of any brush.

Water Stains

Leather shoes due to their utility on a daily basis face every kind of environment as well as weather conditions. Exposure to water in case of rain or other accidental incidents is one of the most common causes of catching water stains. When water comes into contact with any type of leather, it leaves water marks that cause discoloration and ruin the texture of your leather shoes. Leaving them untreated may shorten the life, shine, color, and texture of your leather shoes. Thus, getting these stains removed timely from your expensive leather items is the best option to save your investment in them.

Dark Stains or Discoloration

Leather items usually start emerging dark stains on their surface and people seem to wonder about the mysterious appearance of these ugly spots on their luxury leather items. Dark stains are caused by various other stains such as oil, water, ink, or dirt that accumulate into the pores of leather surfaces and develop and appear in the form of these dark spots when those certain stains are left untreated. Therefore, to avoid dark spots, develop a habit of instant stain cleaning or regular leather care, restoration, and preservation.

Alcohol or Soda Stains

Had a party last night and now, your favorite pair of leather shoes is telling the tale of those accidental spills of alcohol and soda. Alcohol stains owing to their impacts on leather don’t only leave a spot but also have harmful effects on the leather surface: alcohol can dry up the natural oils of leather and lead it to cracking and peeling over time. Moreover, alcohol stains can also cause discoloration or the appearance of faded patches on leather shoes.

Both alcohol and soda stains need instant treatment as if these stains are left untreated, in consequence, the leather surface would lose its smoothness and flexibility and turn into a hard and rough texture.

Road Salt Stains

Road salt stains are the kinds of stains that occur on your leather shoes and boots when walking on snowy roads in the winter season. The salt contained in the snow may get absorbed into your leather boots and leave road salt stains. These stains need immediate treatment as they dry and are hard to remove afterward. These salt stains dry up the leather surface permanently and further lead to cracking in it.

Scratch Stains

Leather material can easily get scratch stains that stay visible on the surface and damage its aesthetic appeal. Through conditioning with a good quality leather conditioner or giving a gentle massage of mink oil thoroughly to your leather shoes can reverse the situation and return their previous allure instantly. However, an inspection of the nature of the scratch is essential in order to get to know whether it is a light scratch or a deeper one. Go with a simple leather conditioning method to remove light scratches on the surface of your leather shoes. Whereas, you would need to clean it with the help of leather cleaner before conditioning it in case of a deeper scratch on the surface.

How to Remove Stains From Leather?

By following the 4 steps leather care process and given instructions, you can conveniently remove all kinds of stains from your leather shoes and boots. These steps include dusting, cleaning, conditioning, and preserving.

Set the Environment

First of all, in order to remove stains from leather shoes or boots, you need to set the environment by preparing your shoes to start the formal process of removing the stubborn stains. Remove the laces of your leather shoes and place them aside. You may also wash them if they are dirty and put your attention towards your main target; leather shoes.

Dusting Your Leather Shoes

In the first step of the stain removal process, dust off all the dirt particles from your leather shoes. This step should not be overlooked as in the case of starting directly with the cleaning process, these dirt particles may get absorbed into the leather surface via pores. Therefore, remove the dust thoroughly with the help of a soft and clean cloth. If you are going to treat a mold stain or grease stain then remove the mold by using any brush and pick the oil from the surface with the help of a fabric without rubbing it, respectively.

Cleaning Your Leather Shoes

After dusting the shoes carefully, proceed with the leather cleaning procedure. For this purpose, use a soft and clean fabric and Whites Pearl Leather Cleaner. Pour some leather cleaner on the fabric and clean the stain through gently but efficiently rubbing the stained area of the leather surface. Continue with rubbing gently until the stain completely disappears. The leather cleaner will not only help you clear the leather surface but also cleanse through the pores. Let your leather shoes rest for a few minutes until the leather surface gets completely dried up.

Conditioning Your Leather Shoes

After removing the stains, condition your leather shoes using Whites Pearl leather conditioner. Conditioning helps to restore your leather items’ original texture and maintain the level of moisture, keeping them soft, smooth, supple, and flexible. You can use whites Pearl leather conditioner or mink oil alternatively to condition your leather shoes and keep them shiny and soft. In order to efficiently apply it and take maximum benefits, apply some conditioning balm with the help of fabric and massage the conditioner for a few minutes until the cream gets completely absorbed in the leather surface.

Applying Protectant

Lastly, your leather items require protection against stains that could damage them. Therefore, to protect your leather shoes from further accidental incidents, use Whites Pearl leather protecting spray. Cover all the surfaces of your leather shoes and leave them to dry for a few seconds. The protectant will create a shield that won’t let any fluids or other particles absorbed into the leather surface. Instead, the fluid would slip away from the surface transforming into small beans. Moreover, the leather protectant would also help you avoid discoloration that comes as the result of the harmful effects of sunlight and extreme heat and cold.